Ferrari F1 junior Oliver Bearman will replace Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in opening practice session of the Imola Grand Prix

Oliver Bearman is set to replace Haas driver Kevin Magnussen for the first practice session of the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. This will help the team gain more data on Bearman's performance as he is a possible future driver for the team.

This is not the first time that the Formula 2 driver will pilot an F1 car this season. He replaced Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia after his appendicitis surgery.

Bearman was impressive throughout the weekend and managed to finish the race in P7 in the Ferrari after starting P11. This was an impressive result, given it was his first competitive stint in Formula 1.

Oliver Bearman is set to get another chance in F1 this season and will drive the Haas at Imola, replacing Kevin Magnussen in the team. The Briton drove for the team in the 2023 season during the practice sessions of the Abu Dhabi and Mexico Grand Prix. This will be an important stint as the team will be looking for a driver owing to Nico Hulkenberg's impending move to Sauber after this season.

Hulkenberg's move was announced earlier this season, and he was picked as the first driver for Audi, who will take over Sauber in the 2026 F1 season. With Bearman's impressive performance, Haas could be looking at a potential replacement.

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"He needs to perform in F2": Haas team boss on Oliver Bearman's possible move to the F1 team

While Oliver Bearman's performance in Saudi Arabia was impressive alone, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu feels it is important for him to perform well in the junior racing series as well.

At the same time, Komatsu said the work Bearman does with the American outfit in F1 would also weigh in their decision to continue with him in the future.

"It is a combination; he needs to perform in F2, for sure. But when we work with him directly, you understand all the ins and outs, all the environment or the reasoning for certain things happening," Komatsu said (per PlanetF1).

"So yeah, I’d put probably more weight on what we do with him, how he performs in our environment. But of course he needs to perform in F2. That’s clear," he added.

Oliver Bearman testing the Haas VF-23 in Mexico, 2023 (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Komatsu also revealed that the team has planned six sessions with Bearman.

"It’s completely open. We’ve got six sessions lined up for him, so we will see the first of that in Imola. We are really looking forward to see how we can develop him and how well we can work together," Komatsu said.

"I’ve said it many times before, he is very impressive… I have nothing to complain [about]. It’s a very good package," he added.

Bearman's test with the team at Imola will be necessary for them to gather enough data about his driving and will play a major role in the possibility of his move to F1 later.